U.S. History Skillbook
Unit 2: The Colonial Period
Discussion Questions
- In the early seventeenth century, what conditions in England “pushed“ people towards the North American colonies?
- What hardship did the early colonists in British North America face? How did these challenges shape the character of the people?
- Why was there a labor shortage in the colonies? How did the English try to solve it?
- What economic activities developed in the various regions? Compare and contrast economic life in New England, mid-Atlantic, and Chesapeake colonies.
- Why were relations with Native Americans often so troubled and violent? Was the clash inevitable? Why or why not?
- How did religious beliefs affect the development of the colonies from 1607 to 1763?
- What patterns of political development emerged in the colonies? How were these similar to and different from English political life?
- Why did the slave system evolve in the middle of the seventeenth century?
- How did the development of colonial assemblies in the eighteenth century set the stage for a “crisis of empire“ in the 1770s?
- Why do you think no new colonies were settled after 1734 in British North America?
- If you were a British official in the colonies in 1754, how would you describe colonial attitudes to the government in England?
- How were colonial problems in 1754 different when compared to 1660’s problems?
